Quick Rules
Addiction Solitaire, which many people know as Gaps or Montana, is a one-player game played with a standard 52-card deck. All the cards are dealt face up in four rows of thirteen. Then the four Aces are taken away, which leaves four gaps. Your goal is to shift cards into the gaps until every row is a single suit running from the 2 on the left up to the King.
- Filling a gap. A gap takes only one card: the same suit as the card on its left, and one rank higher. A gap after the 7 of Hearts takes the 8 of Hearts.
- The first column. A gap at the very start of a row takes any 2. The 2 you choose decides which suit that row will hold.
- Kings block. Nothing is higher than a King, so a gap right after a King takes nothing until the King moves.
- Every move makes a new gap. When a card moves, the place it left becomes the next gap.
- Shuffle. When no card can move, press Shuffle. The cards that are out of place are mixed and dealt again, and the cards already in order stay put. You get three shuffles.
- Winning. You win when all four rows run from 2 to King in one suit each.
How to play here: every gap shows the card it is waiting for. Tap a gap with a bright outline and that card moves into it by itself. You can also tap the card. For a gap in the first column, the game asks which 2 you want. Cards that have reached their final place get a small check mark. On a phone the table is turned so each suit runs down the screen, which keeps the cards big enough to read.
Tips for Winning
- Get the 2s home early. Nothing in a row can be locked in until a 2 sits at its start.
- Watch the Kings. Before you move a card, look at what is on its left. If it is a King, the gap you leave behind will be blocked.
- Look one move further. Each move opens a new gap. Check what that new gap will take before you tap.
- Squeeze each shuffle dry. Lock in every card you can before you shuffle. Locked cards are the only ones a shuffle keeps.
- Use Undo and Hint freely. Undo is unlimited and even takes back a shuffle. Hint points to a useful move and says why.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is this Addiction Solitaire free?
Yes. You can play as many games of Addiction Solitaire as you like for free. There is no account to create, nothing to download, and no ads pop up between games.
Can every deal be won?
No, and we would rather tell you so. With the standard three shuffles, a careful player can finish most deals but not all of them. When you start a new game with three or unlimited shuffles, we pick a deal that our own computer player has already finished, so there is at least one way to win it. If you turn shuffles off, most deals cannot be won, and we deal at random. A deal you type in by number is dealt exactly as it is, winnable or not.
Is Addiction Solitaire the same as Gaps or Montana?
It is the same family. Gaps and Montana are the older card-table names for laying out the whole deck in four rows, taking out the Aces, and filling the gaps to put each suit in order. Addiction is the name the game picked up on home computers. The small differences are in how many shuffles you get and where the gaps go after a shuffle.
What does the Shuffle button do?
It picks up every card that is not yet in its final place, mixes those cards, and deals them back. Cards that are already in order from the 2 upward stay where they are. After the shuffle each row has one gap, right after its last card in order. You get three shuffles in a standard game, and the button shows how many are left.
Why can't I put a card after a King?
A gap takes the next higher card of the same suit as the card before it, and nothing is higher than a King. So a gap that follows a King is blocked until the King itself moves away. The game marks these gaps with a no-entry sign and the word Blocked.
Can I undo a move or a shuffle?
Yes, as many times as you like. Press Undo to take back your last move, and keep pressing to go further back. Undo also takes back a shuffle and gives you that shuffle back.
Does the game save my progress?
Yes. Your game is saved in your browser after every move, so you can close the page and pick up where you left off later on the same device. Your statistics are saved the same way.
Why does the table look different on my phone?
Thirteen cards side by side would be too small to read on a phone. So on a narrow screen the table is turned: each suit runs down the screen in a column instead of across in a row, and the first card of each suit is at the top. The rules are exactly the same, and the game's messages say above and below instead of left and right.
Like games where every card is face up? Try FreeCell, where almost every deal can be solved, or relax with a few quick rounds of Tri Peaks Solitaire.
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